Change Your Image
joeshields
Reviews
10th & Wolf (2006)
Why call Pittsburgh 'Philadelphia'??
A decent story, good acting, but for a good number of people who have spent any time in Philly and/or Pittsburgh, ... you can't pull off calling Pittsburgh 'Philadelphia' (anymore then you can call Philadelphia 'Pittsburgh'). Both cities are great locations for movies... but just because they both happen to be in Pennsylvania, you can't interchange them -- geographically, architecturally they are distinctively unique (even if you leave the "Youse Guys" and the "Younse" accents out of it). Had South Philly's "Rocky" been filmed in Pittsburgh but pawned off as Philly it wouldn't be the classic it became, (nor conversely would the "Deer Hunter") it would have been ruined. I don't know how much better "10th & Wolf" would have been if the geography matched the story, but for me it would have been more believable.
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
tried to like it but wound up rolling on the floor laughing out loud...
...and probably ruined it for others in the theatre. I'm very fond of Jane Austen's books and was looking forward to the film. OK... in the opening scene where the "ball" was more of a barn dance with shabbily dressed and uncombed "townies" I shuddered and chuckled to my wife, "I guess this was before the comb was invented". I soon realized that some jackass set director (or whomever) decided to mix in a little Dickens to the Austen's Pride & Prejudice. All right, I tried to adjust my mental image of the Bennetts to be more like the Bob Cratchit family (minus Tiny Tim)... maybe it will work. No... I was too embarrassed for Elizabeth in her threadbare dress at Pemberly... and then finally with proud, rich Mr. Darcy sitting outside the Bennett house (amid the mud and the pigs) the camera panned to the Bennett sisters peering out the window at him ...THAT WINDOW!!!! Never was there a window in more need of paint. I leaned to my wife and tried to whisper, "they have a cook and a butler, surely the Bennetts can afford a bucket of paint"... but I never got the word PAINT out. I lost it. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I needed a good laugh. Sorry to all those in the theatre that night (although the laughter seemed to be contagious). I think those who made the film must share in the blame. Too bad, the script and acting was very good.